Snowfall
by jane-eliza
Summary: If there’s one thing Gabriella is certain of, snow falls at opportune moments. TxG.


**Snowfall**

**Summary;**_ If there's one thing Gabriella is certain of, snow falls at opportune moments. Troyella._  
**Dedication(s);**_Hui Xian, for a true family welcome, & Hannah, because you're missed. Dearly._

* * *

The spotlight turned swiftly, landing on none other than her. '_Just my luck_,' was the grim thought crossing her mind. The sheer brightness of the light was enough to burn a hole through the floor, blinding her in the process. Gabriella Montez groaned inwardly. The crowd was lively, urging for her to get up on stage. Why her? She never did anything to them. Couldn't she just sit peacefully and read her book? Apparently not, and she was reminded by the hot spotlight currently frying her eye sockets. And that was when she realized that she would not be singing alone. Oh no, another poor soul picked harshly from the crowd would be joining her, in a duet. Oh the joy. Gabriella could feel her stomach churn in panic. This karaoke thing was cruel, modern torture to some extremes. Yet as the fear and utter humiliation bubbled away inside her, her heart was beating fast with excitement. Within a split second, Gabriella found herself being hoisted up on stage. She acknowledged her partner as the music started, an unsure-looking dude with cute surfer hair. Plus he sang like a dream. The song went in a blur to Gabriella, and not long after, she found herself outside with cute surfer dude, once again not quite knowing how she ended up there. Cute surfer dude now had a name – Troy, and her looked even cuter in the glow of the fireworks above. And the slight snowfall that gave everything a magical touch didn't hurt either. One thing led to another; and they exchanged numbers. Awkwardly; though she didn't mind. And so she left him, standing in awe, the soft snowflakes brushing against him on their long way down.

--o--

It was an unnaturally cold winter in Albuquerque. The wind howled, and it poured with rain, but nobody expected snow.

And so, when Gabriella heaved herself out of bed due to insomnia, she was astonished at the thick blanket of brilliant white coating the world outside. It was almost as if the view from the bedroom window was a picture, it was so surreal. It had been years since Gabriella had seen snow. Since she was 16 at least, and as she was now 24, it was a long time. She heard a gentle snore, and grinned slightly, glancing over to the sleeping lump still in bed. He was almost unrecognizable while he slept, except for his hair; his cute surfer hair. Still smiling, Gabriella turned away from her fiancé, grabbed her dressing gown and shuffled into her slippers. She crept over to the door of the balcony, side stepping the creaky floorboard, and ever-so-gently opening the door. A breeze brushed against her, though it wasn't excruciatingly cold, more like a "refreshing nip in the air. As she slid over to the edge of the balcony, Gabriella smiled at the sound of the snow crunching beneath her feet, deciding to ignore the increasingly numb feeling growing through her toes. There was something about the snow that just made everything more picturesque, almost…bearable. She knew herself that Albuquerque wasn't the nicest of cities, but dusted with a layer of snow it seemed much more attractive. Perhaps snow induced some sort of chemical from your brain, making you feel at ease, and calm. Or maybe it was some sort of side effect, packaged with 'Warning; may cause extreme euphoria and peace'. Well, whatever it was, it certainly had that effect on Gabriella. And the little bird, perched on the roof of the house next door. She could've sworn she heard it sing. But then again, it could just be the snow kicking in. I guess we'll never really know. The snow swirled round and round, the little white flakes easier to see in the wash of the orange glow from the outdoor light. It was dizzying. Plus it made the sky look as if it had some freakish dandruff. Oh well. It was still pretty.

Gabriella's dark eyes followed each little powdery sliver fall softly to the ground, bedazzled. She didn't hear the soft footsteps creep up behind her, and jumped when she felt warm arms slide round her waist.

"Hey," came a whisper in her ear, sending a shiver through her, though not due to the cold weather. She smiled faintly. "Hi."

She sensed the guy grin, and his grip tightened. "Aren't you cold out here?" Gabriella shook her head, and laced her fingers through his. He was so warm compared against her icy fingers, and she revelled in his heat. "Why'd you come out?"

"You weren't there," he shrugged, and brushed his lips against the nape of her neck.

"You were asleep!"

He breathed a laugh, and released his grasp on her, scuffling through the snow and gazing out. "Wow. I don't think I've _ever _seen snow here."

She followed him over, nodding. "It's beautiful."

He turned and flashed a grin at Gabriella, his floppy brown hair brushing against his forehead. "So are you."

"Shut up!" exclaimed Gabriella, shortly being followed by a gentle whack on the head. The cute guy grinned, "Why are you even out?"

She smiled back, and rubbed his head where she hit him. "Couldn't sleep." He nodded, and shivered slightly.

"Uhh. Gabi, you don't mind if I go back inside? It's kinda cold."

Gabriella simpered affectionately, "Go ahead. I knew you weren't man enough for the cold."

He stopped in his tracks back to the door, turning to face her. "Not man enough, eh? Oh ho, we'll _see."_ With a lopsided grin and slight wink, he trudged back through the snow. Gabriella smirked, "Oh, alright. I suppose you should prove you're a man and all that…" He nodded, smiling proudly. "…but I'm rather cold," she continued, a small smirk appearing on her flawless pink lips. "So I guess I'll see you in the morning, Troy darling." She planted a soft kiss on his cheek, stifled a laugh, and returned to the house, once again leaving Troy – her cute surfer dude – alone, in the light snow drift. Some things never change.

_Fin._

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_First Troyella, started at around 3am when it was snowing. Inspiration can come at odd times._

_Review?_

_Catie x_


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